2014 Recap

3/18 – 4/10 Sunflower MovementHundreds of student arrived at the Taiwan Legislative Yuan (LY) to protest against the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) and the method that the LY used to pass such an agreement. Students broke into the LY and started their occupy movement. Initially demanding public clause-by-clause review of the CSSTA, the students later demanded rejection of the CSSTA, ratification of legislation that would closely monitor future agreements with China, and citizen conferences discussing constitutional amendment.
While about 300 students stayed in the LY, thousands of citizens gathered outside the building to show support.

3/23 – Students Occupy Executive YuanAs tensions rose in the LY, students went to the Executive Yuan (EY) in order to relieve the pressure at the LY. This led to a clash between policemen and students.

3/30: “Tales of Taiwan – Civil Movements” workshop at Rutgers UniversityAs the students in Taiwan pushed for change, Taiwanese-American students became curious about Taiwan’s history of civil movements. Covering civil movements from the Formosa Incident to the Anti-Media Monopoly and ending with the Sunflower Movement, Outreach for Taiwan spoke to undergraduate students at Rutgers University.

4/22: Lin Yi-hsiung Begins 8-day Hunger Strike Against Construction of Fourth Nuclear Power Plant72 year-old former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung began his hunger strike to protest against the construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant and to call for an amendment to the referendum law. Thousands of people marched in Taipei on April 27 and were forcibly evicted by riot police with water cannons.

4/17: Columbia University Taiwan Democracy PanelColumbia University’s Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA) and Hong Kong Students and Scholars Society (HKSS) co-hosted a panel talk about the Sunflower Movement and its implications for Hong Kong.

5/25: Passport to TaiwanThis year’s annual celebration of Taiwanese culture and heritage in NYC featured performances by two performing art troupes from Taiwan, a display of products made by Taiwanese bike manufacturing companies, and high-class cuisine created by four award-winning Taiwanese chefs.

6/25-28: First Ministerial Level Contact between Taiwan and ChinaOn the first trip by a senior Chinese official to Taiwan in 65 years, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office director Zhang Zhijun was met with violent protests by hundreds of Taiwanese citizens.

8/11: Shen Lyu-Shun calls for US leaders to include Taiwan in International DiscussionsAmidst increased economic, social, and cultural integration between Taiwan and China, Taiwan risks losing its international presence and authority and being completely overshadowed by China. Washington’s top Taiwanese diplomat Shen Lyu-Shun called for US leaders to support Taiwan and its inclusion in key international discussions.

9/25: Congress urges Kelly to begin Taiwan Policy review process20 years after the last time the US conducted a review of its Taiwan Policy, 29 members of Congress urged Secretary of State John Kerry to conduct a long overdue Taiwan Policy review.

Taiwan supports Umbrella MovementDuring the Umbrella Movement, tens of thousands of Hong Kong students participated in a civil disobedience movement to protest a proposed change in the Hong Kong electoral system. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world rallied to provide material and emotional support.

10/17: KANO begins first tour of the USIncorporating elements of Taiwanese history and culture, “KANO” tells the true, moving story of the uniquely multiethnic Kano baseball team and the origins of Taiwanese baseball. “KANO” joins “Cape No. 7″ and “Seediq Bale” to complete the trilogy of Japanese colonization films by Director Umin Boya (馬志翔) and Co-Producers Wei-Te Sheng (魏德聖) and Jimmy Huang (黃志明).

10/21-10/25: Taiwan Excellence Showcase in NYC Showcasing Taiwanese products ranging from vases to bicycles, the Taiwan Excellence Showcase traveled around the world to display and celebrate the quality and ingenuity of Taiwanese products.

11/5: Six Taiwanese-Americans elected to Congress and State LegislatureIn this year’s midterm elections, two Congressional Representatives, two State Representatives, one State Treasurer, and one State Supreme Court Judge are Taiwanese-Americans.

Taiwanese American Organizations

Who are we?

Outreach for Taiwan strives to educate others about Taiwan by providing information and understanding about the political atmosphere, current events, and historical relevance of Taiwan.
OFT is not connected to any political party, nationality, or ethnicity.